


Rock Climbing (And Other Work Hazards)

by BasicallyAnIdiot



Series: That Fun!Vampire AU [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fun!Vampire AU, Gen, HoennChampionShipping, Hunter!May, More slow burn, The Plot Thickens, vampire!steven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2019-12-26 08:19:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18279386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasicallyAnIdiot/pseuds/BasicallyAnIdiot
Summary: Bear they said.Right.May would eat her shoe if a bear had donethat.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Coming in at the nick of time, my post for March!
> 
> Enjoy the next installment of the Fun!Vampire AU!

  
**Rock Climbing (and Other Work Hazards)**

 

 

On the wall of the study, a map hung covered in a rainbow of thumbtacks, with string between them and the pinned photos on the outer edges of the corkboard. It was the most up-to-date map they had- but it didn’t even cover all of the numerous caverns, and caves and mountains and forests so old no human had ever stepped in and lived to tell the tale.

And it was mocking her. May could just tell.

Thus far, every single photo, every single lead available to them, had been a dead end. It was like looking for Steven all over again. She needed a break- some thought so out there it worked.

Leaning back in her chair until the front legs left the ground, May stared at the ceiling. She tapped her pen against her notebook in her lap, scribbles adorning the opened page. The little room was off of the main library, and the table behind her was covered in scrolls, tomes, paper and books- all the known versions of the written language could probably be found on the table at the moment. Every now and again, the rhythmic thumping of Brendan’s head hitting the oak tabletop echoed in the study hall they had claimed for the week.

Wally breezed into the room, another stack of books in his spindly arms, “You’ll give yourself brain damage if you keep doing that.”

From the other side of the table May could hear the muffled curses.

“You never know,” May dropped the chair to all four feet, and looked back over her shoulder, “It might be an improvement for him.”

“Haha. Very funny.” Her friend sat up properly, brown hair a mess and beanie hat long buried under a pile somewhere. There would be an excavation later to find it. Bags had settled in under his eyes and May knew for a fact her’s were no better. He was almost as pale as Wally from the weeks in the library. “There’s nothing. Not a spiritdamn thing. None of the languages in this whole blasted library come close to that symbol.”

His head dropped into his hands, “It’s like- it’s like this language doesn’t exist. Like someone just cobbled it together from a whole bunch of them. Look, Wally!” He held up a tome that might have been five hundred years old and pointed to symbol for control with it’s looping curves. “See! The top half is almost a perfect match- but the bottom,” Brendan dropped the tome, not noticing Wally’s flinch, and held up a recent archaeology magazine, opened to a center page “Matches this one. We don’t even know what this one _means_!”

May might have be wrong, but it sounded like Brendan was on the verge of a break-down. He threw the magazine onto the table and glared at it like it had offended his mother.

Wally’s sigh turned into a cough. He set his load on the table with thud and rested his head on his arms on top of it. “Brendan, you do know that… that’s possible, right? Difficult. Extremely. But possible.”

“Yeah, but how?” Brendan countered, glare on his friend instead of the table. “We _might_ be able to do it, but we have access to nearly a thousand years of spells and knowledge. We train for this. For _years_. How did a bunch of humans figure it out?”

It was a good question. May turned her attention back to the map and felt the thought niggle in the back of her mind. She eyed the strings, trying to find the pattern. “What if they had been preparing for this- for generations?”

Not impossible. Afterall, if nobody had a clue what their families did who knew what other families did in their spare time.  

Wally swore. “If they wanted to bring back something from before The Charter- they could have had a millennia to work on it.”

“Right,” May nodded slowly, “We focused on fighting, on defending. All our resources went into that. What if Team Magma focused on trying to figure out a way around The Charter? On whatever it is they’re trying to find?”

She spun around to sit backwards on the chair, arms folding over the back of it. Waiting. Brendan’s expression was a sour one, but Wally’s… Wally was thoughtful. He ran a hand through his mop of pale green hair, and seafoam eyes were rimmed in feminine lashes. He was probably the most beautiful one of the three of them. Delicate, like glass.

“Humans were never our concern,“ Wally acknowledged slowly, resting on the words, “Why would we pay attention to them after all? They were hunted by just about everything we hunt now. Just- prey. Helpless prey.”

Brendan let out a huff, “Helpless prey who apparently want to bite back.”

“Okay.” Wally said finally. “Let’s run with this. If they were trying to find a way around The Charter, that means they must know The Charter. Like, intimately. How?”

“Easy.” May replied, “We know that our ancestors kept the Signing a secret. So the only way they would have known would have been if-”

“They had been there. In person.”

May nodded again. “So, who was there?”

“Well, we were. Or our families anyway.” Brendan cut in, chewing his lip. “We’d have to check but I think there was a representative from the fae, the beast kingdoms, and… the vampires for sure.”

“It was the king of the Hoenn vampire court and four of his guards.” Wally clarified, brows furrowing. He bent over to look at the spines of the books stacked on the oak table. “Maybe an advisor, too?”

May shrugged and eyed the various tomes Wally had pulled from the shelves. Each and every one had been carefully recorded and maintained- and most were older than the three of them combined. It was a miracle Wally let them handle any of it.

“So, are we changing focus here?” Brendan gestured to the table, “cause I got nothing on that symbol. Not without more details.”

Wally bit his lip, then shook his head. “No. Not yet. If we can figure out what languages they are using, we can narrow down where they might have been. There’s only so many places to find this knowledge.”

“Why don’t we save ourselves the trouble and just ask Steven if he knows who was there?”

Brendan perked up, “Or Wallace. May’s right, we can just ask-”

“Sit down, Brendan.” Wally coughed lightly.

Brendan flopped back into his seat, pouting as he crossed his arms and glared at the table again. He huffed once.

Turning back to May, Wally’s expression was troubled. “What, exactly, do we know about these vampires?”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. Wallace was easy- apparently a fun vampire with, as Brendan described it, proper fashion sense. In the brief time she had known him, she hadn’t managed to figure out where he could possibly be in the courts. He was clearly friends with Steven and had been for a long time.

Which brought her to the other vampire. The one who was high enough in the courts she could take pictures of him. A picture she often opened to when recording her notes on this journey- shocked expression and all. She liked his smile more. It was a soft thing even.

What did he want? What could be driving him to help them aside from revenge on Team Magma?

“Not much.” She acknowledged after a long moment. “I believe them when they say they want to get rid of Team Magma before they do something stupid.”

Wally sat down with a thump, his frown mirroring her’s as he leaned forward to rest his head on crossed arms on the table. “Did you know, the vampires were screwed when the Charter was signed? The terms were slated against them, but they had been losing, badly. It was the only reason their king signed.”

“What are you talking about?” Brendan got there first. May blinked. That had never come up in her lessons- The Charter had been about making peace, defining everyone’s place-

“Grandma doesn’t like to talk about it, but when you two mentioned you’d be working with vampires, I did some digging.” He shrugged, eyes distant, “It was pretty vague, but our side had some sort of magick that they couldn’t overcome. It explains why the vampires gave up their killing rights and their territory. They amalgamated with us to form Hoenn as we know it today.”

Brendan whistled softly. “No shit, really?”

“No shit. The vampires got their butts handed to them. By us.” Wally’s frown deepened, looking out of place on a beautiful face. “I guess- I guess I’m just worried that Team Magma might not be the only ones missing the good old days.”

May swallowed hard. She couldn’t in good consciousness disagree with Wally’s fear. Steven had never turned on her, but she had seen how fast he could move and how strong he was. The vampire _had_ mentioned that he was old enough to remember the days before the Signing. If the vampires did want to bring back those days… would teaming up with Hunters and getting their access to their side of the information be a good way to do it?

“So,” May hesitated, not quite liking what was about to leave her mouth, “Are we going to keep our suspicions to ourselves or what?”

“Well, we don’t know if they are telling us everything they know.” Wally replied, “In fact I would be shocked if that was the case.”

Brendan sighed, laying his head on the table. “Then what you’re saying is that we should keep this theory of ours close to our chests?”

“What I’m saying is we need more information- and not just on Team Magma.” Wally’s frown turned into a grim smile, “Brendan, you and I are going into the vault. May- I need you to meet up with one of the vampires and pick their memory for who might have been at the Signing.” He looked pained for a moment, “ _Try_ to be discrete about it. I’d rather they not know what specific information we’re looking for.”

Brendan stared at Wally then to May, then back to Wally. “We’re doomed.”

May’s aim was perfect and the pen she had been fiddling with hit Brendan’s forehead squarely, leaving a red mark. “Ow! What you do that for?”

She shrugged, unrepentant. “Could have caught it.” With a stretch, she stood up and shook out her arms. “Guess I better get a move on. I think Steven mentioned he might be in Rustboro this month.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Rustboro was a weird city. Not a big as Mauville or Lilycove, but its residents didn’t seem to notice. They always carried a pride to their stride, and noses held high. Earned perhaps; it was a beautiful place of ancient trees and brick buildings. Cobblestone streets spoke to a storied past as one of the oldest cities in Hoenn. By human standards anyway.

May sipped her smoothie through the straw- savouring the fresh banana and sweetness of the berries Hoenn was famous for- and watched the crowd over the rims of her sunglasses. Leaning back against the sun warmed metal of the bench, she could only wait. There were too many people around to fidget with a knife and she settled for chewing the straw.

Meeting during the middle of the day hadn’t been her idea- she was fine with night. Preferred it even. All the things that went bump in the night knew enough about Hunters to be mindful.

Daytime though. Daytime sometimes sucked.

People walked right past her- not sparing a glance, not realizing she was there. It used to bother her. Still did. Some days more so than others. Even reminding herself that these kids were safe to play, to run up the plastic slides their parents free to sit back and watch because of her work, did little against the gnaw of frustration in her gut. If she did her duty, and she did it right, no one would ever know. These people probably felt safe, safer than normal even, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on why.

A piece of mago berry caught in the strawberry, and May pulled the straw to suck it out from the other end. Across the street from the park, afternoon sunlight hit the gleaming skyscraper of Devon Corps, flashing right into her eyes for a moment. May turned her head into the breeze, catching the scent of flowers on the wind, before glancing back.  

She could just about track the vampire’s path by the way the parents turned their heads and blushed. Humans and their obsession with pretty, pretty things. Like the one taking his time coming around the pond, stride steady, hands in his dress pants’ pockets.

Her jaw nearly dropped when Steven finally round the trail. “Do you not have anything else in your closet?”

The vampire froze, blinking behind thin, stylishly blue tinted sunglasses. His suit was identical to the ones he wore when they first met, and from the warehouse fiasco. In the classy neighbourhood, he fit in far better than she did with her jeans and leather jacket. May flushed and sucked more of her smoothie in an effort to stop her mouth from moving without thinking again.

Steven laughed. Not the delicate, elegant laugh he had back in the vault hidden behind a clawed hand, but a deep laugh that shook his whole-body eventually dying as a cough. His hand dropped from his chest and wiped a tear from his eye then ran through gunmetal steel hair. If May’s cheeks weren’t already burning, the vampire’s half-smile would have set it aflame all over. “It is good to see you too, May.”

She waved weakly and tried to melt into the bench. No dice. Still solid. May coughed and sat up. “Hey. Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Please don’t be.” Steven sat beside her far enough away they weren’t touching, but the tips of her fingers could brush him if she reach out to the other side. “Your honesty is refreshing after the meetings I have been in today.

“Is that why you wanted to meet during the day?” May turned back to the playground, glaring at anyone who’s gaze lingered on her with an air of surprise to their body language. “I figured you’d be asleep.”

The hum from Steven was considering, “I should be, yes. Being up during the day is… tiring. But my business associates are unawares and I would like to keep them that way.” His shrug was graceful, somehow. “This is a lunch break.”

“Ah.”

Silence fell for a moment while May gathered her thoughts. The wind picked up, scattering fallen petals and weaker leaves. She always forgot that Rustboro was full of flowers, with fields and fields of them outside the city. All to be used in perfumes or shipped around the world for floral arrangements.

Her sigh was deep, and she set her smoothie down beside on the bench to cross her arms, “We haven’t been having much luck. Most of books and knowledge from the time of the Signing and before were destroyed.”

The vampire hummed again, a almost a purr if she was being poetic. “You have questions for me then.”

“Yeah.” May paused, “You told me you were old enough to remember that time.”

“I did.”

Wally said to be subtle. She didn’t _know_ how to be subtle. Not really. Not the way Wally meant it. But they needed the information. She turned her head, catching the vampire’s glance at her, “Were you at the Signing?”

He went still for a moment, just a second, then slowly shook his head. “No, I wasn’t. Why?”

May bit the inside of her cheek and tried to find a believable lie. “We have a couple of theories, but no evidence for any of them. The symbol doesn’t belong to any one language and they did it so well I think Brendan busted a blood vessel trying to figure it out.” She shook her head, “But the thing that really worries us is that in order to circumvent The Charter-”

“They’d have to know it.” Steven’s smile faded and he leaned back against the bench, a clawed finger tapping against painted metal bars. This close, it was impossible to miss the delicate runes carved into the wide rings on his fingers, two on each hand. Spellwork. She hadn’t noticed before, too preoccupied by an immediate concern of the claws.

“Right. So how did they learn it? Why are they doing this?” She sighed, “What possible skin do they have in the game. We thought… we thought that maybe there was something the Signing.”

Steven was quiet, though his finger kept tapping, slower now. “Wallace… hasn’t had any luck either.” The finger stopped. “I might be able to convince one of the elites to speak with you. They were there.”

She glanced up at him, surprised. “Elites?”

“The royal guards responsible for the safety of the king.” Steven sighed, “Fortunately, they haven’t been needed in the last few centuries and are probably bored. They accompanied the king to the Signing.”

“That would be great.” May felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Ha- Wally couldn’t complain about that. “Now- just need to figure out where else they are getting information from.”

She stood up, grabbing her smoothie with her. There wasn’t much else to do in Rustboro. They didn’t even have the right questions yet- maybe another sample would work? More symbols, more to work with. More clues, more information. “I should get going,” May glanced back at the vampire, “Unless something’s come up on your end?”

“Not much. The warehouse was owned by ghost company. Dead end.” Steven stood up in a single ease of motion. Flower petals that had landed on him drifted to the ground. “But, if you are not in a rush, there have been some rumblings at the edge of town, near the tunnel. They closed the hiking trail yesterday because of a reported bear problem.”

May blinked, “There are no bears in Western Hoenn.”

The vampire nodded, “I was going to investigate myself, but if you’re here...”

“Yeah, no worries. I can take a look.” May waved him off. “It’s what I do.”

The vampire paused, brows furrowing slightly, “I’d rather we went together. Dangerous times.”

May shook her head, petals falling off strands of her hair. Wally’s warning echoed in her ears, “Nah. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. ‘Sides, you said that you still had meetings today right? I do it now and I can be home for supper.”

Steven sighed through his nose, “Very well. Please stop by Devon Corps on your way home and leave a note for me. I’d rather not be accused of harming you if you are late back.” His eyes drifted upwards, and equally slow his hand came up to May’s bangs with a soft, “May I?”, and plucked a petal from the strands.

May brought her smoothie up and took a big slurp and fought the warmth rising to her cheeks. That was new. She may be, almost, kind of liked- “Thanks.” She mouthed around the straw. “I’m just... gonna go now.”

“Of course.” The vampire smiled and May all but fled from the park.

 

~*~*~*~

 

The image was burned into her mind. The soft smile. Wind-ruffled hair. Petals falling behind him. A dark suit that left nothing to the imagination from broad shoulders to a tight, trimmed waist. Half-moon sunglasses shielding stormcloud eyes. Flawless, pale skin and thin lips-

May slapped her cheek hard enough to sting, banishing the thought with pain as she muttered. “Get it together girl. He’s a vampire. You’re a Hunter. In the old days you would have been eaten.” It was a vampire’s supernatural beauty that lead people to their deaths. Something shiny to attract the human eye, fangs hidden behind perfect, kissable lips- Attraction was part of a vampire’s danger. She knew that. She could do better. Even if a part of her wasn’t that opposed to the idea of Steven eating her-

She shook her head hard enough to rattle her brain. Later. She’d figure it out later. With chocolate. Or beating Brendan into the mat at the dojo ‘cause he always skipped weapons’ training. Favouring magick over the skill and art of a sword or the sweeping devastation of a halberd.

May slapped both cheeks again for good measure, taking a breath to centre herself. Catching the smell of flowers from the south of town, almost overpowered by the damp woods surrounding TransHoenn route 116. It was a two lane road that winding along the edge of the mountain to the tunnel that connected western and central Hoenn. There was a hiking trail that covered the same ground, part of a hiking trail system that spanned the continent, and May had seen its name on several reports. Mostly tourists who thought the traditions of leaving berries at the trail signs was hocus pocus instead of an adaption of traditions. Even May left a tribute as she cleared the city behind her.

Clenching her hands into fists, one scar pulled tighter than the others. May glanced at the thin, white line of healed flesh in the palm of her left hand. It was perfectly smooth, and she could just about feel the rasp of tongue cleaning the blood away. She scowled at it, grabbed her fingerless leather gloves and all but jammed them onto her hands. It was just another scar.

Cracking her knuckles, checking her knives once more, May stepped past the sandwich board that proclaimed the trail close onto the path. Gravel crunched under her shoes as she slowly made her way to the tunnel. It wasn’t a particularly long hike, occasionally she caught glimpses of the road the trail ran along side of, but the lack of any sign of trouble… that was worrying. It was spring and the trail was a comfortable temperature. A great time to cover some ground.

She cleared the hill, and stopped dead. All hiking trails in Hoenn had three sided buildings with bunks in them placed periodically along the way. For safety, given visitors a dry place to stay and spend the night.

This one had been smashed to pieces. Debris littered the site- not even the small steel campfire pit had been safe. It was crumpled. As if something very large and heavy and smashed into it and crushed it into a new u-shape. May sidestepped a board, kicking at it once. A hardwood, meant to withstand a lot. The top of it ended as splinters.

Bear, Steven had told her. Right. May would eat her shoe if a bear had done this.

Looking around suggested the damage was recent and, she noted with relief, no one had been there whenever this thing attacked. Whatever it was, it was large enough to cut a swath right through the forest, with trees fallen forward away from the trail. A distant crash registered in her ears.

Maybe she would need back- no. She was a Hunter. She was born and bred for this. She could handle it. May swallowed hard and took off at a quick jog.

She dodged fallened trunks and uprooted trees, the remnants of boulders worried her.  May ran the kilometre between the trail and the broken treeline at half speed- enough to cover the distance but not enough that she risked missing clues.

Like the fact the boulders in the craters were a different type of granite than the surrounding landscape. Visibly different, with no clear point of origin. No mother cliff that they fell from. Not erosion- but clearly deposited by something. With lots of force behind it. Mt. Chimney hadn’t been reported as erupting lately, or otherwise misbehaving, and the craters were devoid of any growth. The weeds hadn’t even found purchase yet. Fresh. So what had caused it?

The earth shook, rattling its way through her body as she stumbled. May dropped to a crouch. Ahead on the trail of debris, she watched a boulder clear the treeline and drop back down with a crash. She gulped.

Her push forward slowed. May chose her steps with care, avoiding twigs and leaves. Anything that could otherwise give away her presence.

She saw the Gollum before it saw her.

It towered over the landscape, at least three times her height, maybe four, with a boulder for a torso. When it moved, she saw a vaguely humanoid figure to it with tiny stone legs, held together with air, under the bulk. The arms had the next biggest boulders- each longer than she was tall- and smaller boulders dotting around it. No head though.

The stone creature turned, revealing a stunning blue crystal longer than May’s forearm and thick as her thigh protruded from the middle of where shoulder blades would have been. Sunlight filtered through, casting rainbows on the ground.

She cursed mentally. There was only one type of Gollum that matched the description. One that had to be summoned from the netherworld. Wally would have a field day when she told him.

Spirits. She should have waited for back-up.

Her options weren’t great. If May stayed, she’d be dealing with the brute on her own- with nothing but her wits and her knife. If she waited, or left to go get help… well the thing might just move on. Or kill somebody. That would be on her.

A circle of containment was out- she doubted she could make one before the Gollum noticed.

So- how to get rid of something bigger and badder than her?

May eyed the crystal. A good solid hit should break it- releasing the magick within. But how to do that when it was almost a story and a half above her?

The only thing nearby- granite. Somehow she’d have to get a piece of granite large enough to shatter that crystal but small enough to lift up. This was hairbrained even by her standards. She could hear her father’s lecture now- provided she survived long enough to earn it.

The Gollum kept a snail’s pace forward. It gave May time enough to check her weapons and tighten her bandana. Terrain was not in her favour. Not even a ledge to get a leg up on the brute.

Old-fashion smash and grab it was.

May was normally a fan of that plan. Less moving parts. Clear path to the best outcome. She was less a fan of the giant rocks the brute had for arms that could smear her into the ground.

May managed to creep within a 50 feet of the Gollum before shit went sideways.

She reacted. Knocking the air from her lungs as her body hit the ground hard rolling to a stop. A crater, with a boulder bigger than her torso, rested where she had been seconds before. Nothing followed it.

The Gollum seemed satisfied though missing the arm it had thrown. It continued its lumber forward. With a wince, May stood up to take a step after it.

This time she saw the boulder of the Gollum’s other arm coming at her as she dodged. Her tumble more controlled.

How the heck did it know where she was? It obviously couldn’t see her- otherwise she’d still be dodging boulders. The only time she was attacked was when she moved… the vibrations, maybe? Didn’t matter, she still had to deal with it.

The Gollum paused and threw itself against the ground, yanking new arms out of the dirt and muck. A regenerative property? It was flat for the process, it’s crystal at a height she could reach. Maybe for 15 seconds?

That… was not a lot of time. May would have to be stupidly close _and_ make it flop. _Away_ from her.

Wally and Brendan were going to blow a gasket if she survived this.

She knelt down carefully, watching the Gollum for any sign of trouble, and picked up a rock the size of her fist. May threw it hard in the other direction.

The stone bounced twice. The Gollum didn’t even twitch as it meandered forward.

With gritted teeth, May picked up another rock, this one half the size of her torso, with both hands. It rested easily on her shoulder. Using all of her strength she launched it forward.

The Gollum swung to where the rock landed, boulder arm flying, scattering rocks and debris everywhere. May jumped forward at the same time and froze where she landed.

The Gollum didn’t notice her presence behind it. She picked up another rock, this one a little bigger than last, and launched it away. And just like before the Gollum attacked where the rock landed, and not where May actually was.

It was working.

Her chances of surviving this were going up.

With both arms gone, the Gollum fell forward. May counted the seconds- she had to be sure about this- before it got up again.

Fourteen. She had fourteen seconds to climb the Gollum’s back and destroy the crystal. With a knife. Or a rock if she could carry one with her. Not impossible. Just difficult. Very difficult.

On its feet again, the summoned brute stepped down the trail it was carving. Once more, May picked up and launched a rock away, leaping closer in the aftermath of the attack.

One more throw. Then it would fall.

She leapt as the boulders landed. Lunging closer and closer to the beast. Until the moment the Gollum fell forward. Then May moved faster than she ever had before.

Her fingers dug in the crevices littering the torso boulder, another held a rock in her fist. Seven seconds left.

The first blow glanced off the crystal but the second frantic hit cracked the crystal causing the Gollum to roar and stand up quicker than it before.

May jumped off and rolled to a stop, whirling around to see a boulder coming at her. She leapt to the side a hair too slow. Black dotted her vision was she struggled to breathe. Her left side _burned_. Tears sprang her eyes, her breath caught in her throat-

The Gollum spun again, trying to find her. Boulder arms out wide to hit anything in its path.

Her leg ached on the verge of giving out. Her left arm out of commission. Ribs bruised if not broken. A lung collapsed. May growled, adrenaline overriding pain, tossing the rock she held in her right hand up once to catch it in a more favourable hold and then threw it with all the force she could muster.

And hit the cracked crystal square on.

The crystal _shattered._

An unearthly sound rattled the ground as the Gollum began cracking apart. With a gulp, May realized she had forgotten something important about this type of rock Gollum.

They explode.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Pain.

Everything was pain.

Breathing hurt- it came out a rasp. Definitely broken ribs. Moving was out of the picture. Her eyelid felt heavy- blinking them open zapped what energy she had left.

Overhead stars twinkled at her. A half moon hung fat in the midnight sky. Not the clearing May had fought in. Or maybe it was? She couldn’t tell-

Something with rounded edges was pressed into her arm and _burned_.

May’s throat, hoarse as it was, couldn’t get the full strength of a scream. It died into silence though her mouth remained open.

Minutes or hours later, the orb was pulled away. May managed to curl up and away from whoever was tormenting her, tears falling silently. The skin on her arm was crispy to the touch- Spirits help her-

“Hmm, the bait worked, but I think we caught the wrong fish.”

“I don’t know- you didn’t hold the orb against her that long, Tabitha. Maybe it just takes more time?”

This sounded important, May realized through the pain and tears. She should be paying attention. But everything _hurt_ -

Deep breath, or as deep as she dared. In, out. Acknowledge her pain, her injuries, and let it all go. She had work to do. Like kicking these guys in the butt.

In the back of her mind something snapped into place, overriding the pain. Pushing most of it out of sight. A cool wave of satisfaction soothed what remained.

The man and woman had their backs to her. The man was heavy-set, and favouring red for his attire. Black hair greased from what she could see of it. Beside him, significantly shorter, the woman tapped a foot short pink hair bouncing with the motion.

They couldn’t see her getting to her knees. Or when she got her feet under herself. Standing took energy May didn’t think she had. Swaying for a moment, May gritted her teeth and put her hands on her knees to steady the world.

She caught a glimpse of the orb in the man’s pudgy fingers, carefully held one handed with a spelled cloth. Fire swirled angrily against the glass that held it, almost butting up against the curved walls. A riot of colours- almost magma bright- clashed against each other.

Jackpot.

May moved like she had been trained to. Hitting hard and fast. She didn’t like hitting someone from behind, but she didn’t have the luxury of assuming they’d grant her the same courtesy.

She delivered a sharp kick to the back of the woman’s knees, making her collapse with a shout of surprise. A controlled elbow behind the neck knocked her all the way down.

“Holy-“ the man wheeled back, blood flying from the punch May delivered to his nose. He held onto the orb though, eyes narrowed at her as he took a step back.

May pursued, noting her attacks were sluggish compared to normal. She wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long.

The man was surprisingly light on his feet- dodging her punches and kicks some of the time, keeping the orb out of her reach. Until May finally managed to knock the glass ball out of his grasp with the tips of her toes.

Heat flooded her foot, and she bit her lip in pain. Even through her shoe? She ignored it, following up with a roundhouse kick aimed at the man’s face.

It landed, sending the man flying back. Giving May just enough time to race over-

Magick rose like lightning- and slapped into place, binding May in purple chains. Constricting around her neck. Her sudden surge of energy fled as she fell to her knees, leaving her exhausted and gasping. The pain started creeping back as the orb remained just out of reach.

“Bitch.” The woman growled, short pink hair mussed from her tumble to the ground. Magick crackled in the air around her. In the faint light of the moon, May finally noticed the blood on the woman’s fingers. Holy- did they perform a sacrifice? “First you blow up our warehouse, then you broke my Talus, and now you try and steal from us.”

The air turned heavy, magick rising again. Not a chump- not even Brendan at the height of spell casting could make the air feel so oppressive. The chains tightened- almost cutting into her skin.

“Courtney- you heard the boss!” The man started, sitting up with a bloodied hand over his mouth. “You can’t kill her. We have to take her alive. Let’s just grab the orb and her and go!”

For one brief moment, May thought the woman would ignore her partner. Would squeeze her until her bones popped and life left her-

Instead, the woman growled and let the spell loosen. Not enough that May could fight it, but enough that she greedily gulped air into her lungs. “Fine! But you’re carrying her!”

A cough racked through May’s body, all of her injuries came back into focus- almost stealing her breath away. Everything blackened. Her knees gave out and she fell forward onto her stomach- she didn’t have a hope of fighting them of. They were going to grab her and take her somewhere-

“Actually,” a voice cut in level as a board, and smooth as silk covered steel, “You will leave. Now.”

Disbelief shocked her veins, chasing the blackness away. She knew that voice.

May couldn’t see Steven, but judging from the way her tormentors froze they most definitely could. It was probably a sight. There was nothing quite like a vampire silently appearing when you thought you were safe.

The two eyed each other and nodded. Courtney spared one last glare at May, before backing up to her partner. He scrambled to grab the orb in the spell cloth.

There was a soft tap, tap of footsteps as fine dress shoes cut into her vision. Dusty over the polish. “Release her.”

Courtney smirked, “Not a chance, fang-boy.”

The shoes were gone, and May watched as Steven just _appeared_ behind the pinkette, a clawed hand gently on her throat under her chin and the other gripping her wrist. Still wearing the same damn suit no less.

The woman’s eyes went wide, and as she opened her mouth to speak a pointed finger tapped her lip, the clawed tip piercing the skin. Courtney shut it quickly. “I’m told,” Steven began quietly, so quiet and soft May struggled to hear him, “the other way to remove a spell is to kill the one who cast it.”

May watched as the vampire slowly leaned over, half-lidded stormcloud eyes almost glowing in the moonlight, his lips just about caressing the woman’s ear as he added. The tip of a fang glinted, “Shall we test that theory?”

Courtney’s breathing was shallow as she responded in a wisp, “You can’t kill me. Your precious Charter won’t allow it.”

May had never seen a smirk on Steven’s face before. It made him look a lot more like how she pictured vampires in her head. Evil, almost. With an ethereal moon glow to his hair and suit, and eyes that definitely glowed.

 _This_ was what May had dedicated her life to fight against. A denizen of the night that was stronger, and faster than any other creature she was likely to encounter. The rest of the bigger, badder monsters hid in Hoenn’s abundant caves and forests- only the vampires mingled with the humans. And there she was, injured- not a chance in hell of being able to fight him off if he turned on her. On the tentative alliance being built.

Shit.

What if Wally was right?

His laughter chilled May to the bone. Soft and mocking. As if Steven was amused by the situation. His hand stroke Courtney’s neck, scratching a thin line of blood as he went. “The Charter only says that I _might_ be punished.”

Then he smiled, two needle-like fangs on full display. It would be so easy for him to bite her-

Courtney was shaking now. Her rose pink eyes so wide May could see the whites of them. Damnit- there was nothing, absolutely nothing May could do to stop the vampire-

Tabitha, pale now, shouted so loud his curled black bangs bounced, “Courtney! Come on! It’s not worth your life!”

With a curse, the pink-haired woman dropped the spell.

May felt the spell chains slide off her completely and she breathed in deep.

Steven vanished again- spirits, May had no idea he was that _fast_ \- and landed beside her crumpled form. He slipped a hand into a pant pocket, suit miraculous unruffled. “Run. And hope I do not chase you.”

Courtney collapsed like a puppet with her string cut, her partner barely managing to catch her in time. All grace was gone as the two scrambled to flee.

Leaving May all alone with a vampire that was ready to kill someone.

She flinched at the first touch, hissing in pain and fear. Home. She wanted to go home: hide where no one and nothing could find her. If she played dead, maybe he’d leave her alone? Go away, back to wherever he came from?

The hand on her arm was gentle but firm, May couldn’t move away. “May. Please let me help.” His voice was still soft, but the tone was different. Closer to their time in the park. Lighter. But those fangs-

Panic. She was panicking.

Yes, Steven was dangerous. She may not have a firm grasp yet of how dangerous- it was hard to figure when most of their interactions had been peaceful-ish, but she knew it.

And so was she.

 _She_ was the one who took down a Gollum single-handedly. _She_ was the one who found, tracked, and caught an unfindable vampire. _She_ was the one they sent in when they wanted something dealt with.

 _She_ was the one who trained her entire life to face down things nobody else could, so nobody else _had_ to.

She was scared.

And that had never stopped her before.

May swallowed hard, throat aching with the motion, and croaked out, “I could have taken them.”

Silence filled the rocky outcrop. Steven turned his laugh into a cough, “I’m sure.”

Her breathing settled, everything protesting any movement from her. “They had an orb-”

“The Red Orb. I saw.” The vampire glanced to the direction the duo had fled, a frown marring his face. He turned back to her. “We’ll deal with it another time. We have to get you help first.”

May scowled at him, fighting off the wince of pain that shot through her side as she shifted. “I’m fine.”

Steven stared at her, expression bland. Slowly, ever so slowly, he raised a hand and poked her left shoulder with the back of a knuckle. Tears came to her eyes as she clamped down on the cry of pain, letting it escape as a high-pitched whistle.

“No,” The vampire declared drily, “You are not fine.”

When rational thought returned, May swore at him. The bland expression returned, undeterred by the foul language. It felt like he was laughing at her. “Can you walk?”

She could fight him on this- and lose. May bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to reach her pride. “No.”

He nodded, “May I carry you?”

“I’m not some damsel in distress.”

“No,” Steven agreed solemnly, “but you are distressing at times.”

“Hey!”

The corner of his lip twitched into a smile. “They may come back with help. I’d rather neither of us were here.”

May snorted, “Fine. But I doubt it. You terrified them pretty good.”

The vampire was silent, examining her wounds carefully. Cool fingers ghosted over her skin, looking for damage. From the feel of her ribs, piggy-back was out. Her chest ached at the thought of her broken ribs bouncing around against anything remotely firm.

Steven seemed to reach the same conclusion. He slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders.

Even though she knew it was coming, May hissed as she was picked up. A murmured apology brushed the top of her hair- huh. She had lost her bandana.

Steven was warmer than the night air, and he held her close enough that she could feel it. All of a sudden, her jeans and jacket didn’t feel sufficient for the weather.

The vampire started walking. Stopping once to adjust his grip. “It’s alright to rest against me.”

Tiredness settled in her bones. May blinked and gently set herself against the silk jacket. Under her ear, she could make out a soft thump followed by an long silence, long enough to be worrying. Then another.

Huh. Vampires had heartbeats.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Waking up a second time was a marked improvement. Sort of.

On the upside May was in a bed, and someone had been kind enough to mummify her. The bed itself was soft, covered in shades of blue and pink and a surprising amount of pillows. Curtains blocked the sunlight, rimming the edges of the fabric.

On the downside, she was out of adrenaline and she felt _everything_. And she stunk of blood and sweat.

The room was a pale blue. Every piece of furniture tasteful, white or tinged pink, and carefully arranged. It looked like it belonged in one of the house and home magazines her mom always read.

Sitting up, wincing as she did, May took stock. Battered. Bruised. Alive. She’d had broken ribs, maybe a finger or two, a dislocated shoulder and sprained a couple of things. Her breathing was still short- that could be a problem but other it could have been worse. A lot worse.

The first door opened to a closet almost as big as the bedroom, lighting up as the door open. Silk dresses hung neatly by colour. Shoes sat on display in rows on shelves. May would probably have found jewelry and other precious items in the wall of drawers. Likely a woman’s bedroom then. Or Steven had interesting hobbies.

The next door led to a hallway. The air was warm against her skin- someone had changed her into a long shirt, nightgown thing and she hoped it hadn’t been the vampire.

May padded along, muffling her steps. At the end of the hall, was a cozy kitchen and perhaps the most beautiful woman she had ever seen was washing two mugs in the double-sink.

The woman noticed May lurking at the edge, and turned. Head on, she was even prettier. A heart-shaped face, bright blue eyes and long, silky aqua hair. Similar to Wallace’s, but a shade or two lighter.

Her figure was damn near perfect. At least May assumed it was, everything seemed proportional to her height, an inch shorter than May. The simple sundress and flats, happy shades of yellow sunflowers and red roses, looked like it, and her, belonged on a runway. “Oh good- you’re awake.”

“Hi.” May shifted, suddenly aware of the blood and bandages and a glorified tee-shirt she wore.

The woman didn’t seem to mind or notice the imperfection in her picture-perfect kitchen, and dried her hands with a dishtowel. “Is there anything I get you?”

A bath. What May wanted was a bath. Or food. ”Where’s Steven?”

The woman giggled, shoulders shaking adorably, “Out cold on the couch. Poor thing.” She gestured to the empty doorway. “You can check but please don’t wake him.”

May took a step back and leaned over to the other side of the wall.

There, stretched out on what might have been a real leather couch, was Steven. He was still wearing his suit, though it finally showed signs of wrinkling, with his head propped on the arm- dead to the world. Two dress shoes were kept neatly by the end of the couch. A hand dangled over the edge while the other rested on his chest. There was a very faint sound, almost a soft wheeze-

He was snoring.

She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her snort and backed up into the kitchen.

“I know, right?”

May turned to the woman. She was putting away the mugs in a cupboard, smiling over her shoulder. “He always pretends to be a big, bad vampire but he sleeps like the rest of us.”

May pulled her hand away and licked her lips. Like she could forget the way he moved- he could have killed either of those Team Magma idiots without batting an eyelash. “Yeah. I guess.”

The woman’s smile faded a moment. She shook her head and it returned. “Where are my manners? I am Lisia. I believe you know a cousin of mine, Wallace?”

 _That_ had May’s attention. The woman, Lisia, was certainly beautiful enough to be a vampire but- her movements were off. Slow. Not quite the same control Wallace or Steven had. Didn’t set off warning bells. She didn’t even show signs of sniffing the air- though that might have been because May currently stunk. “You’re a vampire.”

Lisia clasped her hands in front of her, a harmless position. Her smile looked strained. “Not quite? Or, I guess, not entirely?”

“Oh.” May’s mother would kill her for making her host so uncomfortable.

The woman, a vampire-but-not, chuckled nervously, “Steven said that you were a Hunter.”

Oh, she had been stupid about this. No wonder the woman was suddenly nervous. Most supernatural beings were when a Hunter rolled in, except the particular powerful ones. Humans didn’t have to worry. What a strange situation to deal with if you were both.

And here May was in her home, after she had probably been the one to take care of her wounds. “Yeah. Right, sorry. I’m May.” She ran a hand through her hair. Flakes of what might have been dried blood drifted to the floor. Smooth. “Sorry. About the sheets.”

“Please- it’s okay.” Lisia’s smile returned. “Steven told me everything. Is there anything I can get you?”

Food. She should get food. “A bath would be nice.”

May couldn’t quite regret her choice the moment her toe dipped into the hot water. It was the best feeling in the world. All the grime and blood and dirt gone from the quick shower beforehand. Allowing her to soak in the hot water til her heart’s content.

Baths were a luxury. Growing up, she had more than one week of training hell, of obstacle courses and survival training, where she was more mud than girl. Quick, cold showers and long nights of study. Where to strike, what she was and was not allowed to do by The Charter. She hated summertime by the end of it.

In theory, anyone could become a Hunter. It was just an oath, a binding one. To uphold The Charter by any means necessary. May’s family simply preferred survival over theory.

Brendan suffered with her during those long summers away from boarding school. A companion in misery. Wally got put through a different kind of survival training- Librarians had their own philosophy on what constituted survival- but May saw the bruises all the same.

The soak was lovely. As May scrubbed the dirt the shower didn’t get, mud peeling away from her cuts and bruises. They weren’t as bad as she thought they might be. Even her ribs seemed to only be bruised, not broken. What she had thought to be sprains just twinges. The longer she sat in the warm water, the better she felt.

When the dirtied water turned lukewarm, May hauled herself up and out. Drying off quickly and changing into the spare clothes Lisia had loaned her, she almost felt back to normal.

Mercifully, Lisia gave her pants a shade of river blue but the fabric was smooth and soft against her skin, almost billowy when she walked. The shirt was crisp white, short-sleeved and a similar material. Finer than anything May owned. For the best- there was nothing protecting her from road rash. Though she still hadn’t figured out what happened to her leather jacket.

Steam escaped as she opened the bathroom door, crawling along the ceiling before dispersing. The kitchen was empty, the living room was not.

Lisia sat with her legs curled under her on the armchair, the skirt of her dress artfully sprayed out in front of her. Across from her Steven sat, yawning- his fangs visible for all to see. His hair was a mess, suit rumpled, and it was the most un-put together May had ever seen the vampire. Even when she found him in the warehouse he was unruffled.

May shook her head and went straight for the other armchair, flopping into it and drawing her legs up under her as she did. She eyed Steven across from her, “‘Can I just say you do not get to ask me for any more favours.”

The vampire froze, blinked once, and snorted. Not his usual elegant snort, but something closer to what Brendan would pull off. Tired Steven was a interesting creature. “I’m sorry, May. When they closed the trail, I assumed it was because of something more… manageable.”

To her side, Lisia tilted her head. May ignored it, “Oh. It was manageable. I managed the Gollum just fine. What I want to know, is what those two… people were doing with that orb thing.”

Steven rubbed his eyes, and May almost felt bad for interrogating him. Almost. She wasn’t really in a mood to be kind. Not when death had finally come knocking. A bath could only go so far.

“I don’t know.” The vampire rubbed the back of his neck, “The Orbs are supposed to be on Mount Pyre, protected.”

“Orbs- plural, as in more than one?”

“The Red and Blue Orbs,” Lisia cut-in, expression thoughtful, “Are magical items of great power held in trust by the monks of Mount Pyre. They are never to be taken from the island, for if they are removed from the wards, a calamity will befall the world.”

May stared at the smiling woman. “Uh, that sounds apocalyptic.”

Steven lightly coughed, eyebrows drawn together in concern. He ran a hand through his mop of hair, trying to tame it. “That is because it is. Mount Pyre was sealed off from the rest of the continent shortly after the Signing. They were charged with protecting several items of power, including the Orbs. The only way to get there is by invitation.”

May idly brought a hand up over her left arm, where the burn from the Red Orb sat half-healed under her sleeve. “Protecting the items from us or protecting us from the items?”

“I think we need more tea for this conversation.” Lisia chimed as she hopped off her chair, gliding towards the kitchen.

“A little bit of both.” Steven admitted, watching Lisia leave. “Which makes it all the more worrying that Team Magma has one of the Orbs.”

She leaned back against the chair, mindful of the bruises on her back where cuts should have been. May had always been lucky. “Why? Why do they need one? What could they possibly do with it?”

The vampire was quiet. He undid the laces on his shoes and slowly put them back on. “I don’t know.”

“Helpful.”

A smile tugged at Steven’s lips as he bent over to tie his left shoe on, “I try.”

May snorted, her lips twitching up into a returning smile. It was hard to know what else could be said. A kettle whistled distantly, Lisia’s flats shuffled over the kitchen floor. Across from her, the vampire had finished one shoe and was now struggling with the other.

Once he had worked past the knot and had finished tying the shoe, Steven brushed off some of the dirt with a hand. It didn’t do much. With a sigh, he sat up and met May’s gaze. “We probably can’t get to Mount Pyre, but we might be able to find out what Team Magma wants with the Red Orb. There’s caves in Dewford, with murals of the Orbs.”

She shrugged, “Sounds like a road trip to me.” A phone rang in the other room, and Steven winced after a moment.

Lisia turned around the corner, smile tight. “Steven? Wallace is on the phone. He would like to know how long it takes for you to use the bathroom, especially considering the Devon Corps’ building has one on every floor.”

The vampire chuckled sheepishly. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

The woman considered him, holding out a wireless phone to the vampire, “Undoubtedly. You _were_ the one harping on everyone to travel in pairs. Just ask him yourself.”

Steven coughed, “Right.” He stood up and took the phone, squaring his shoulders as he went down the hallway. “Wallace.”

Lisia shook her head, crossing her arms and sighing deeply. “Men.”

May let out a bark of startled laughter. “Yeah, well, I’m glad he showed up when he did.”

The woman glanced at her, but was cut off when Steven called from down the hall, “May- Brendan’s on the phone. Something about missing a check-in?”

May’s amusement died swiftly. “I might be in trouble, too.”

  



	2. When Climbing, Bring a Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May missed a check-in. 
> 
> Brendan is not amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Cause Brendan needs some time to shine. Takes place the day after May's run-in with the Talus and Team Magma. : D

**When Climbing, Bring a Partner**

 

There was nothing left in the clearing. 

Brendan swallowed and gripped his staff so hard his knuckles were bone white and ached under the pressure. The trail of broken trees and shrubbery he had followed, clear and obvious as day had stunk of magic and freshly turned dirt leading him further and further into the woods. Away from the trail he had been directed to by a local plagued by ‘bears’.

He had never really liked the woods. His preference was always the cities and their diluted magic- a target’s signature was crystal clear against the blank canvas of concrete and stone. Standing out like a sore thumb despite their best effort to hide. 

The natural world was saturated with energy, making everything fuzzy to his senses. Wally could sort through all the stimulus, understand where it all came from, but Brendan almost felt like he was half-blind. 

Despite this, even with all the background noise and whispers, the trail was impossible to miss. Like a giant had taken a sword and sliced a path through the countryside. The purple aura tasted bitter with the acidity Brendan normally associated with the Netherworlds- was this something summoned then? What was it?

Spirits. Did May go after the thing on her own?

Who was he kidding- she totally would.

He took a breath, the lingering acidity tickled his nose and turned his stomach. “Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead. I can’t yell at you over how stupid you were if you’re dead.”

Picking up his pace, keeping his mantra going, Brendan just about fell into the crater. In the center, untouched by the debris and smoke streaks, a small collection of glinting stones. The turmoil in his stomach turned into a riot, grabbing the bottom of his throat. There was blood splattered on stone, but not enough to suggest whoever it was bled out- please don’t be from May. 

There was no body. Aside from the successful destruction of whatever had been there, May’s handiwork no doubt, not a trace of his friend. 

He swallowed and climbed down to the small pile of stone in the center. Blood red and cornflower blue stones, some as big as his fist others the size of a thumbnail. Given the depth of the crater, the damaged stone, and the collection of precious stones it could only be- Brendan swore sharply, “It was a Talus.”

A Talus. Of course it was. Of course May would go charging in without a plan, running on a hope and prayer. Like that would do a lot of good against a type of gollum from deep, deep in the Netherworld. Serious magic was needed to bring it to this realm, the kind that couldn’t be found at the local witch’s shop. 

Crouching down, he gathered sapphires and rubies, sticking them in his pocket. If someone had the ability to summon a Talus and was intent on destruction, why not summon one of the bigger, badder beasts- like a Lynel? Why a Talus? Thank the spirits the summoner hadn’t- not even May and Brendan teamed up could confidently tackle a Lynel- but still, why?

With a sigh, Brendan stood back up and looked around again. May had missed her check-in yesterday evening. That left nearly 12 hours unaccounted for. While there was definitely signs of her handiwork, there was no further signs of her. Assuming she made her meeting with the vampire, she would have made it to this clearing in the afternoon. 

Judging from the blood, she was injured. How badly was inconclusive. Damnit, May.

Okay. May was missing, likely hurt. There was a summoner out there on his level which was kind of worrying. Brendan had trained since he could walk, propped further by centuries of knowledge available to him. 

He blinked. He grabbed that thought and shook it, ‘cause that sounded awfully familiar. 

Double-damnit. Was this a Team Magma thing? Where the hell were they getting this information? There was like five existing copies of the book that mentioned Talus and the appropriate summoning circle. 

Something tugged at the edge of his mind, pulling his attention to a small footpath leading away the sight. Coming close, it was easy to see how he had missed it earlier, a boulder blocked most of it from sight. Droplets of blood, dried and rusty, speckled the foliage leading away from the crater. 

He was going to yell at his friend until he was hoarse. With a growl, Brendan rested his staff against his shoulder and held a hand out in front of him. With a free hand, he opened and poured from his water bottle. A murmured word of power brought the underside of Wally’s chin into view. Great, Brendan was in the tea mug again. “Oi. Wally”

A shuffle on the other side as Wally looked down. The younger man’s voice was echo-y as he spoke, like there was a thin wall between them. “Hey Brendan. Did you find May yet?”

“No. But I did find the remains of a Talus.” Brendan shook his head, “I’m off the trail North-east of Rustboro. No signs of May.”

“A Talus?” Even miniature, Wally’s frown was apparent. “What’s one of those doing wandering around?”

Brendan almost shrugged before thinking better. He’d lose the connection if he jostled it too much. Water-talking wasn’t the most reliable way to chat but it worked in a pinch. “Someone summoned it here. I think May went after it. I’m going to continue searching.”

The expression on Wally’s face was one that had started making more and more appearances lately. A stone wall of indifference, hiding whatever he was thinking. “Be careful, Brendan. Keep me posted.”

“Got it.” Spreading his fingers wide, the water slipped to the ground. He shook his hand of the droplets. Putting his staff back in hand, Brendan rolled his shoulders and took off down the narrow path. 

Brush tangled on his pants, pricking the threads from the jeans. More than once he lost the trail, doubling back to find the right way forward. When he came to the bottom of a cliff, he barely managed not to groan at the sight. 

Climbing was May’s trick. He had yet to see her bested by any cliff face or tree. Where she climbed a monkey or mountain goat, Brendan hauled himself up like a bag of potatoes, staff stuck in his mouth like a particularly awkward bone. 

It was only when he got to the top, pulling himself over the edge and rolling away from it, that he realized there was a path around. Naturally. Breathing hard, Brendan spit out his staff and waited until his heartbeat had calmed down to sit up and look around. 

More blood. Significantly more blood. And- just barely covered in a fine layer of dust, the edge of a circle. 

Leaping to his feet, he swung his staff in an arc in front of him, murmur on his lips. The breeze picked up from his back, clearing the debris from the sight. 

He nearly gagged at the sight. 

The circle was far more advanced than what was needed to summon a mere Talus. Familiar runes followed the outer edge of the outermost circle easily- that strange bastardization of languages filling the cliffside with a heavy aura that threatened to choke him. Unnatural. Rubbing against the forest’s residual energy like a chain against skin. 

The inner circles were no better. Lines for the cardinal directions, but also at least two ley lines he was familiar with. Representation from all 18 elements. Dead center was a dried pool of blood, too wide and deep to be anything but a death blow. There had been a sacrifice. 

This was- this was city-breaking level magic. 

Someone had definitely tried to summon something far, far worse than a Talus. 

So why did a Talus turn up? There were no flaws in the circles as far as he could see, even if the lingering magic triggered his gag reflex. The currents in the magic pulled towards the circle, tugging at him-

A shiver ran down Brendan’s spine, cold and frosty in the warmth of late spring. “Fishing.” He flopped back on his butt in surprise, running a hand through his hair and knocking his beanie cap off, not quite believing the words coming out of his mouth. “They were fishing. The Talus- the Talus was bait.”

Something that would eat a Talus as a snack. Something that required a sacrifice to summon. There weren’t many creatures that fit that category, and fewer still that cared for human blood. 

What the hell had May gotten into?

And where was she?

He took a breath, then another. The circle had to go. Before someone else came by and did something stupid. Breaking it would take effort. That was fine. Brendan had a job to do and he’d do it well. 

Standing up, he deliberately brought his staff down on the edge of the outermost circle. It stayed standing, Brendan’s own magic building in the air snapping at the unnatural aura, as he slowly widened the gap between his out-stretched arms. Thumbs pointed towards his staff, pinky to the very edge of the working, everything in his vision and the whole circle encompassed.

It was the simplest word he knew, and all the more powerful for it. The highest of its tier. Brendan spoke in a language older than most continents, gathered energy just about crackling on his skin. _“Shatter.”_

 

~*~*~

 

Exhaustion nipped at Brendan’s heels on the way back to Rustboro, a new rock slide left behind him. Still no sign of May, which suggested that he needed to explore other options. 

The inside of the Devon Corps was sleek and modern, looking towards the future while the rest of the city stayed in the past. Stainless steel gleamed, the front of the entrance desk lit up in soft white while glass allowed the morning’s sunlight in. Not exactly where he pictured vampires to be lurking during daylight hours.

At the desk, the receptionist eyed Brendan with a hint of concern. The dark jeans and long-sleeved leather jacket he wore probably wasn’t helping matters, neither was his cap. Sweat from the hike back dripped down the back of his neck, the dirt and dust from the mountain coating everything made him feel like a vagabond among the suits and ties. 

“Can I help you?” He asked politely, likely with one hand over a security button.

Brendan leaned his staff against the edge of the desk, tapping it gently. “Yeah. I’m looking for Steven.” 

The receptionist gave Brendan a thin smile, “Which one?”

Spirits, he was too tired to play fifty questions. He pointed to the photo on the wall, a fancy plaque under a familiar face. Later he would have to investigate- who would have thought of a vampire hiding in plain sight? Or in such a prominent place? “That one.” 

It earned him a blink. The receptionist’s smile thinned further, barely more than a line, “Do you have an appointment?”

Be polite. Be polite. “No, I do not. However, he is expecting me.” Or if he wasn’t, the vampire would soon get one hell of a reality cheque. Chances were that he was the last person to see May 

“I’m sure.” The receptionist pulled out a small pad of paper, “If you leave your name, message and a number you can be reached at, I will ensure Mr. Stone receives it.”

Brendan could agree then sneak up. The security looked manageable- assuming there weren’t more vampires floating around. Or he could just place the whole building under a sleep spell and be done with it. Though those were some nice looking couches. “How about I just wait for him.”

“If you would like.”

“I do like.” Brendan whirled on his heel and stalked towards the couch, all but flopping on it. Crossing his arms, he settled in to make himself annoying to everyone else on the floor. The receptionist’s smile faded completely at the sight, and the man picked up the phone and dialed a number. 

With a soft sigh, the Hunter turned his thoughts over and over: what had Team Magma been after? Or if it wasn’t Team Magma, it was someone with the same level of knowledge as Magma. Unlikely, but possible.  

Okay, but what were they trying to summon? They got the Talus for reasons- but a Talus was nothing but boulders. So would it need to be something that could eat rocks? What could possibly eat rocks?

An elevator dinged, and a voice called out, “Brendan! You made it to Rustboro!”

A smile came to his lips as he glanced over. Wallace, with blue hair that couldn’t possible be natural, was smiling as he stepped off the elevator, arms wide in greeting. It seemed he had gone formal with skin tight white pants and a faint rose dress shirt- the first two buttons undone and doing nothing to hide the smooth pale skin underneath. Brendan would give Steven credit- that vampire _was_ pretty- but Wallace? 

Wallace was a whole other universe. 

“Hey, Wallace.” Brendan hopped to his feet, careful not to wobble though his legs protested the movement. “Didn’t know you were in town.”

The vampire waved a finely manicured hand, “I try to keep Steven out of trouble. Please, come with me.”

The corner of the entrance didn’t feel that private, but Wallace waved another hand and the tingling sensation of magic brushed over Brendan. Privacy ward? Interesting. 

With the wards in place, the cheerful persona of the vampire dropped like a curtain. Turquoise eyes, inhuman in their colouring- too bright, too perfect- assessed Brendan from head to toe. “Now, what brings you here?” 

The question was perfectly mild. A shiver ran down Brendan’s spine. He gripped his staff a hair tighter- he might have used up most of his reserves breaking that circle, but his staff still had an abundance built up over time. No need for a fight. Yet. “May missed a check-in. She was meeting up with Steven here in Rustboro around noon.”

Instantly the coolness in the vampire’s eyes turned to exasperation. “Well,” Wallace began with a sigh, “that explains a lot.” The vampire rubbed his temple, “I bet that was why he decided to have his lunch break in the park.”

Turquoise eyes narrowed, thin brow coming together in concern, “And Steven vanished from a board meeting yesterday evening.”

Great. Brendan exhaled through his nose, “That’s a problem. I think he was the last person to see May.” Memories of the crater came back to him, and he winced, “And someone summoned a Talus near Route 116.”

“You think May went after it?”

“I know she did.” Because Brendan’s childhood friend was 1st class _idiot_ , “What I need to find out is where she got to after.”

Wallace inhaled sharply. “You say she missed a check-in? If Steven knew that May was out there and she hadn’t returned, I bet my wardrobe he went after her.” 

“And he didn’t tell you?”

The vampire twitched, grin wide and tight and definitely promising retribution. “No, he did not.”

“Well, there was no sign of him or May. So, next idea?” 

With a sigh, Wallace leaned up against the glass window, looking out on the town time forgot. Beautiful, Brendan’s mind whispered, with the light cascading over him- Aw hell. This crush was getting out of hand. He shook his head. 

“I do have a relative in Verdanturf,” Wallace mused aloud, “I can call her and see if she’s noticed anything. If nothing else it will cross Verdanturf off our list and we can narrow our search from there.”

“Sounds better than where we are now.” Brendan tossed his staff to his other hand. “Let’s get started.”

Wallace nodded, and Brendan felt the ward come down, shimmering like silk across his senses. “Follow me.” 

And he did. Gleefully, because it turned out Wallace was just as gorgeous from behind.   

  


**Author's Note:**

> Have questions about this AU, or want to prompt me on it? Come say 'hi' on [Tumblr](https://basicallyanidiot.tumblr.com/)


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